Trust
by Angel1876
Summary: Viola is rescued at the last moment, but Ellen still escapes with her father, in her body. Trapped with a terminally ill and injured shell, she has to rely on the quiet woman who seems only to have her best interests at heart.
1. Chapter 1

"Get away! Monster!"

She felt him move, but the motion was faint, barely there. The magic that had allowed her to see the world around her was fading, it's life dimming with her own. She couldn't tell what he was pointing at her, but she knew him well enough to guess. Heart pounding, she reached for her father, desperately straining her burning throat, but no matter how hard she pushed the words wouldn't come clear enough.

The gunshot invaded the air with a horrid crack, and what little vision she had went black. For a moment she was sure her heart had stopped, that she was dead, but even in the darkness she could still feel herself, the pain, breath in her lungs. A second explosion cut through her ears, followed by her father's familiar voice saying they should head home. She tried to call out after their retreating footsteps, he wasn't leaving with her, he was leaving with something more dangerous than any animal he'd hunted. This time though, there was no sound at all. She tried to move forward, but found herself unable to do that either. Her muscles were locked in place, she could only lay there as her arms trembled under her weight.

She was alive, wasn't she? He'd missed...

How had he missed? She'd seen him shoot a squirrel from a the top of a tree from their porch. They'd only been a few feet apart, there was no possible way he'd miss once, much less twice.

The rain that had been falling thinned out, her powers completely gone. According to Ellen's memories, the only way to get any more would be to kill someone and let the demon take them in exchange. It went without saying that she wasn't going to bring an innocent into this, even if she held the physical strength to do such a thing.

The magic clouds faded, she knew this because of the heat that she found bearing down on her back, slowly drying the water and the blood that coated her. Whatever seemed to be holding her body still relented, but without strength to carry on she only slumped to the ground, the fresh smell of grass at once filling her nose. A low, pained groan that sounded like a wolf's growl escaped as she tried in vain to lift herself back up. After only a couple of weak attempts, she fell limp where she lay, head turned to one side so she could breath, as exhausted as the simple motion made her.

There was a flutter of wings, and a crow called from somewhere close by. Her stomach twisted painfully at the sound as she quickly raised a hand to cover her face. Foul birds they were, to pick at still living animals. More than once she'd heard stories of farmers whom had had their newborn livestock's eyes pecked out. Even though that really couldn't happen to her anymore, it didn't mean she was at all safe from the fiend. All of the open wounds were surely tempting the feathered creature.

Before the bird had a chance to get any closer, she heard something much larger approach. It wasn't the stealth of a predator...it sounded like a human. Another person to point a gun at her. Shaking, she forced her head up, sockets searching the nothingness and finding just that. "Hhe...eel...mh..."

Wet flowed out of the black holes, though there was no possible way she could tell if it were clear or crimson.

Whomever it was came close enough that she could feel the movement, a subtle heat that every body gave. An arm extended, fingertips lightly touched her cheek, taking liquid with them when they instantly recoiled.

"Nohh...ahh...mmm...errr..." more tears came as she reached for this unseen person, gripping onto some sort of cloth. A skirt, or a dress, something that flowed down past the knees, "Hhe...eel...mh..."

"You're dying." the voice was deep, but quiet, nearly a whisper. Decidedly feminine, and came with such detachment she felt her heart sink.

"Pl...ece..." the woman pulled away abruptly, yanking the cloth harshly out of Viola's grasp. Desperately hanging onto this one fragile hope, she reached out and felt only air, "Pl...ple... he...eel... mh...dnn... ebe...mh... re..."

There was a pressure on her lower back, a hand pressed over her spine. The bottom of Ellen's dress was lifted, reviling two gaping holes where her legs should have been. Before she could really comprehend what what happening, something was spread across the wounds, something that scorched and burned like the liquid Ellen had given her to take her voice. Instinctively, she fought against her, tried to pull her unraveling form away before it was injured further.

The other allowed this, the dress fell back into place, but the pain only increased with the soft fabric against the uncovered flesh and bone.

"Don't be afraid. I know it hurts, but you need to rest." the voice was circling to her front again, trapping Viola where she was, unable to move backwards. The hand that had pinned her down wrapped around her chin, pulling her face upward, "...your eyes aren't as bad as they could be. This cut here worries me...you've lost enough blood already."

"Nnn...!" she realized exactly what she was doing, and tried to pull away. The fingers only tightened their hold, keeping her in place.

"You can't fight me." the searing fluid was quickly spread across the wound, burning it closed. The woman retreated while Viola clawed at the blistering skin, "I'm done. You should relax now, I won't harm you again. You need to conserve your strength. I don't know how long I can keep you alive."

"Whh...?" she barely managed, her head tilting back to stare unseeing at the figure. Arms pushed firmly at her side to get the girl on her back. The ground fell away, the darkness shifted sickeningly around her. She clung to the other's neck, trying not to fall.

"Stay awake, you can rest once I make sure you're going to wake up again." no more was said as she was carried back into the forest.


	2. Chapter 2

The soft breeze became chilled as the heat from the sun vanished. They must have reached a part of the forest that the trees covered completely, further than her father would have ever wanted her to go. Every few moments she heard a flutter of wings, birds alarmed by their presence. Another crow called, and the woman spoke again for the first time in several minutes, "I'll deal with him later."

"Ooou...?" Viola stared toward where her face must be, though her lids were half closed. She was exhausted, but she was afraid to go to sleep. Like the woman pointed out, there was a chance she wasn't going to wake up if she did. The constant movements helped keep her alert, but it could only go so far after everything that happened.

"Nothing, just stay calm for now. We're almost there."

She swallowed, though her mouth was so dry it did little to help, "Whh...err...ee...ghh...nngg...?"

"...I can't understand what you're saying." another nearby 'caw!' came from somewhere above, "She's not muttering. Something's wrong with her throat."

Was she talking to the bird?

She gasped, her arms loosening around the woman's neck before she remembered that she'd only the ground to catch her if she fell, and the grass wasn't much of a cushion against sharp rocks. Memories not her own told her of demons and what forms they could take. Small animals, like cats, foxes, and birds.

"Stay still, you're going to hurt yourself." she shifted Viola slightly, into an easier hold.

Silence, broken though it was by the sound of footsteps and the wings of the trailing crow. She was wide awake now, tensed in the arms of the woman. If she was a witch, then why was she helping her? What did she want, what more could she possibly take away? This body was useless, the magic was gone, and as far as Ellen knew, she couldn't feed her soul to this demon because her body had already contracted with another.

Witches were't good people, Viola knew this now. Ellen had her convinced that it was a power obtained by birth alone, that she wasn't at fault for what she was. It was a lie, every kind word and declaration of friendship, she could see each moment through Ellen eyes now that she had her memories, and it made her sick how easily she'd been fooled by a few tears and a sad smile. All witches chose to be what they were, and worse, they murdered regularly for their own gain. This person could be no different.

But what other choice did she have? She was blind and unable to walk. Without power she could just barely move at all. She was helpless.

The grass vanished suddenly from under them, the clear clack of shoes on wood replacing the softer movements on grass. A door opened, though the woman had no free arms to turn the knob. There was a shift in the air, the musky smell of wood and paper replaced the sweet plants from outside. The door closed, there was a rustle of things being moved around. It was even colder here than it had been before, to the point that despite the weakness she felt she began to shiver.

"Stay here." she was lowered onto the floor, something soft under her back as the arms retreated to leave her there alone in the dark. There were more footsteps, a click that sounded like glass hitting glass and the noisy pouring of liquid. "I'm going to have you drink something. It's going to make you tired, but stay awake for me."

"Nnn...!" she shook her head frantically, remembering the burning that took her voice at the promise of relief. The very idea of drinking anything else was unthinkable.

There was a moment of quiet, then something was set down, and the woman approached again, "You need to drink it. It will make your body replace the blood you lost faster."

She felt her kneel down at her side, and immediately tried to get away, though a hand much stronger than she was captured her shoulder and pulled her up so she was as close to sitting as she could get. "Nnnhh...!"

Her struggles were ended by fingers in her hair, tightly entangled so that movement was both painful and impossible. Instead she closed her mouth, lips pursed together to keep anything from getting inside. A sigh, the first sign of emotion she'd heard from the other. The edge of the container was pressed to her mouth and tilted back, a couple drops of cool liquid pouring out onto her skin. She swallowed again, the dry and cracked burns reminding her how thirsty she'd been after drinking the potion Ellen had given her.

"It won't hurt you."

Cautiously, she parted her lips slightly, letting just a little of it in. It had a strange flavor, almost like river water, but bitter. Her tongue prickled it rolled over sensitive wounds, but nothing more. She swallowed, and though her sore throat screamed, it wasn't causing any more damage. She took another mouthful, this one easier than the first. Again and again, she found herself quickly downing what was offered.

Once the glass was empty, she was laid back down, the woman walked away again. Within moments she felt her eyelids drift shut, becoming sleepy as the other had warned.

She was pulled back to reality the instant she felt the dress lifted up and something warm spread over the wounds. Within seconds, it faded, replaced with tingling numbness. She could feel the pressure of something being wrapped around the stumps, but nothing else.

Sh must have faded out, because she didn't fell the woman pull away nor did she hear anything else when she was lifted again into a sitting position, a second glass pressed to her lips. She was a little more willing to drink this one, though it was less from trusting that it wasn't something dangerous and more from being too tired to even think of fighting. The liquid was slightly thicker in texture, and though it smelled of milk there was a faint taste of berries.

"It's safe to rest." the witch said as she lowered Viola again to the ground. She was covered with another blanket which, combined with the one underneath, chased away what lingering chill she felt. Within seconds, every sound around her faded into complete silence.


	3. Chapter 3

High pitched wails filled the air as she shrieked in agony. She'd known her friend had been in pain, but this was unbearable, how could she ever stand such torment without going insane? Had Ellen really been suffering like this for so many years? The door opened, and her own voice called over her cries.

"Viola! Oh, Viola, I'm so sorry. I forgot to take my medicine before we switched, you weren't meant to get the full force. Here, it'll ease the pain."

A small glass was pressed into her hand, and unthinking, she downed the liquid, desperate for any relief it could offer. One mouthful was all it took to send a searing hot liquid flooding down her throat, burning everything in it's path. The container rolled off the edge of the bed and shattered on the wooden floor. Blisters formed as the soft flesh continued to cook, making her cough and writhe. Hot wet drained down her face, running from her wide open eyes. It was now she realized that everything was black, that it couldn't possibly be this dark in the middle of the day.

Fingers clawing at her neck, her screaming had faded to only a quiet gurgle. When Ellen began to laugh, the sound chilling to her very core, a dark cackle she'd thought the girl incapable of. What was wrong? Why was she laughing? She reached toward the noise, hands blindly searching for her friends'. Her wrists were caught, a seemingly gentle gesture, only for the grip to tighten and pull, dragging her off the bed to hit the ground hard. Ellen retreated, backing toward the door, and she couldn't even call her back. Only a harsh growl that was more animal than human, "Ehhh...ennn!"

She clawed at the ground, weakly dragging her weight forward. Her legs, where were her legs? Every inch was slow and painful, until something caught. The dress was stuck on something, and despite the utter blackness around her she saw the eyes of a cat stalking toward her.

"Miss? Miss." pressure on her shoulders that pinned her on her back, a body hovering above hers. She twisted in it's grip, lashed out with her nails, anything to make the pain stop.

There was a startled gasp and the hands left her, but in their place came something cold and strong that wrapped around her waist and both limps, tightening to pin her in place. Heart pounding, she tried to wriggle out of it's grip, but it was unrelenting. "Miss, calm down. You're safe here."

"Lll...lehhh!" she said as loud as she could, coughing when her throat reminded her that it was blistered and useless for words.

"I'll let you go as soon as you stop. I can't have you moving all over the place. You'll knock one of the shelves over on yourself."

A bird called. The crow, her crow, the witches crow.

Not Ellen, the woman who took her from the forest.

She stilled, her heaving chest the only part of her that still moved. Several seconds passed, then the tendrils vanished. They didn't just pull away, rather, the icy things just vanished, releasing her to the blankets underneath. The one over her must have been pushed aside at some point, though she couldn't remember when exactly it had left. It wasn't needed anymore, though, the room was much warmer than it had been when she'd gone to sleep.

There was movement, the woman kneeling next to her. "Are you alright?"

She shook her head. No, she wasn't alright. She hurt. Everything hurt. He throat, her face, her legs. After a moment of silence, she felt her stand, move off to one side. When she returned, she began to wipe something over her wounds again. "Nnhh!" she cringed, immediately thinking of the burning medicine. A breath of relief left her as it was proven to be the same stuff that had numbed her earlier.

Another glass was soon pressed to her lips, a moment that felt too much like when she'd been tricked into drinking the harmful substance. She pushed it away, though she thought the woman would just force the matter. She didn't. The vial was removed, though she didn't lay her back down.

"The little girl was horrible, wasn't she?" her tone was still flat, as if she didn't care in the slightest either way. It was scary, the way she spoke...Viola swallowed, wincing as she did so. Her mouth wasn't as dry as earlier, but it wasn't as moist as it should be, and there were still blisters from the 'medicine.'

It actually is medicine, Ellen's memories reminded her. Meant to cauterize and disinfect open wounds when other treatments were unavailable.

"This will make you feel better. Like what I put on your legs, it'll cool your throat." again, she pressed the vial to her lips, tilted it just enough to wet them slightly. Clean, somewhat minty water, no pain. "I'm not going to harm you."

Giving in, she drank it and as promised the burning eased. "Hhhii...rre...oou...?"

"I can't understand you." the arm around her shoulder began to lower her, pausing when she gripped the fabric covering what she thought was the woman's chest.

Taking a deep breath, she said as slowly and as clearly as she could, "Wwhaa... hiii... errr... oouu... eell... eeng...mhh...?"

"...Why am I helping you?" Viola nodded, and for a moment she thought she wouldn't answer, until a very quiet whisper came, "I need to."

Abruptly, she pulled away, though the blankets were enough cushion to keep the short fall from being anything more than a slight discomfort.


	4. Chapter 4

"There's no visual signs of infection. I want to make sure, but I don't want to put medicine here. I can't induce sleep until you're stronger, you'd be aware of it." fingers carefully moved along the edges of her empty sockets. The very idea of having the burning liquid in such a sensitive area made her want to cringe away. Feeling her legs being cauterized had been bad enough. With a feather light touch, the woman brushed over the inside of one dark cavity. Viola gasped as a flare stabbed through her head, the hands instantly jerking back, "Part of the nerve that holds the eye in place is still there. She didn't sever them by pulling, she cut them."

"EEee-" the sound was cut off when the woman's grip returned, lifting her head back to bare her throat. She held still as her throat was touched gingerly, and opened her mouth when asked.

"I don't think you'll ever talk properly again. The wounds will heal, but there'll be too much scar tissue left behind." the detached air she spoke with reminded Viola of someone she'd known once. It had been years since she'd heard anyone talk like that, but the more she heard it, the more familiar it seemed. The fact that she was currently being examined by her only reinforced the memory.

The voice she'd heard was deeper, older, masculine. Frightening almost, when compared to the softer, more loving tones she'd been used to. She'd been a little girl then, had hidden from him behind her father's leg whenever he came. Everything was always tense back then, her parents always so emotional that it scared her, especially after his visits. Her mother had broken down into tears once, had held her and her father, sobbing for what had seemed like hours. She remembered this was when she'd began to actively dislike the man, for making her family sad like he always did.

Mother began to pull away after that, retreating to the bedroom to sleep more and more. Her distance had hurt, but her father was always there, even when her mother was curled up on the bed, barely giving her a second glance even though she'd tried to help her feel better with one of her stuffed animals. Father said that she was just tired, that they just had to take care of her and hope things would change.

The last time she'd seen the man was the day her mother left and never came back.

It wasn't until she was older she fully understood what happened. Father didn't like to talk about it, and quite honestly neither did she. Thinking about her mother...hurt.

But this made her wonder, was this woman a doctor? Obviously, she knew a lot about the human body, but then again, so did Ellen. One couldn't be a witch without learning biology, how potions and spells affected living creatures.

Ellen's body had a blood disease, one that was incurable. She'd tried for a while to find one, but both the cat and the books had confirmed that nothing could be done. The only way for her to survive had been to switch into another's body. This required the trust, and the consent, of them both. She'd used her...they'd never once been friends. Ellen had only been thinking of herself.

Even if her wounds healed, nothing could be one about the illness. It was going to kill her, eventually, and when he died the demon was going to eat her, as demons do to their witch's when they die. She was to take Ellen's fate in her place.

Was it even worth it to be treated if nothing was going to save her in the end?

"Do you think you could keep some soup down?"

Her chest tightened, warm fluid began to leak from the sockets again. Swallowing hard, she wiped at her face and lowered her head, feeling the others' eyes on her though she couldn't see. At the mention of food, her stomach twisted painfully, and a memory came to remind her that this body hadn't eaten in almost two days. Viola nodded shakily, straining herself to add, "Pll...esse...?"

There was a beat of silence, followed by a very, very quiet, "Okay."


	5. Chapter 5

Eating in this state was not the most pleasant experience. The woman had reasoned that since Viola couldn't see, things would be easier if she were fed. She'd agreed, not that she really had a choice, and found herself sitting in wait for the touch of metal against her mouth. Little by little she drank the broth, occasionally joined by a bit of softened carrot or celery. The woman had evidently taken care of avoiding anything that could hurt harm her throat further. Despite that, she didn't exactly revel in the fact that she was being fed like a child, that the other kept having to stop and wipe at her face because she'd closed her mouth too early. It was embarrassing.

As she ate, the witch began to speak, "Being able to eat is a good sign. If you can keep this down, it will help you regain your strength. Barring any infection, you should be able to survive for a few more weeks. I can't do anything about the illness. You did know about the illness, yes? You had to have known her very well to be able to trust her despite what she was."

She blinked up at her. It was all she could do. The answer was obvious, so there was no reason to attempt to speak again. Though she did wonder how exactly she knew.

"I assume she hurt you. Used you. I don't suppose you trust witches much, do you? That might be a problem later...but you're right. You shouldn't trust witches. Stay away from them next time. I think you know now that they consult with demons."

Viola had already worked out that much just minutes ago, but then again this woman had no way of knowing that. Though the words were spoken always without emotion, they were still said. Words of advice almost never came without reason, which made her wonder again what was the point. Why was she helping? What did she gain by keeping her alive?

Under the confusion, there was a slight flare of anger. Upset at being mocked. As if there'd be a next time...

"I saw what happened. The scene was rather far away, however, so my own thoughts won't be a very reliable source. Your memories will be more moving. You'd no eyes at the time, but what you heard and what you felt should be enough. And you have other memories that can be used to support that moment. It will be far more compelling than anything I could offer."

"Whhhh...?" she blinked again, head tilting to drive the point across. What was she going on about? The movement prompted the offering of food to pause.

"We're going to need to prove to your dad that the blond haired little girl he took home was not his daughter. Most humans don't fully comprehend what a powerful witch can do. Simply telling him will yield only disbelief at best and hostility at worse. He would call us liars, think we were trying to harm. I heard that it was only the two of you, miss. Considering this, he would probably give his life for you, and thus now, her."

A shaky breath left her as she closed her eyes, reminded that her father was with Ellen and she could be doing who know's what to him by then. "Etthh... eee... ahh... riiee...?"

"I didn't understand you."

Taking a deep breath, Viola tried again, "Eeth... dahh... di... ah... lllll... rhite?"

There was a moment she was sure the other still couldn't make words of the animalistic grunts and growls, but then she responded, voice quieter than normal, "I can't know for sure, but if she's smart, she will have left him alone. Even the more powerful witches can't stand up against an entire town of angry people. If she's not careful, and gives herself away, she'll be dead. Even if the demon's backing her, the chances of her living if she gets caught are very small."

Her stomach twisted with worry, even worse so than it already had been, and for a moment she feared she might vomit what she'd just eaten. When she felt the metal against her mouth again, she reached up and grabbed hold of the spoon, her fingers brushing over the woman's. She couldn't eat anymore. Not right then.

The spoon was pulled away, giving a dull click as it was set back in the bowl. She fidgeted slightly, uncomfortable as she felt the others gaze on her. Maybe it was paranoia from not being able to see and knowing she was sitting there in front of her, but she could have sworn that she was being stared at, picked apart like some sort of experiment from school. The tension thankfully broke when she ashed, "Your name is Viola?"

Startled into not even thinking about the answer, the girl nodded, and the other continued, "My name is Elizabeth...the bird is Venom." the crow called from somewhere above and to the left, "Whether he likes it or not."

Demons didn't typically have names, Ellen's mind chimed in. Mostly, they see no need for one, and some rather disdain the idea of names in general.

"Is there anything else you need? Something to drink, another blanket?"

Viola shook her head once.

"Alright. It's getting very late. I'm going to sleep in here tonight, in case anything happens. I'll be off to the right. Just a few feet this way," a hand touch to show her where, "So if you need me just shake me awake."

She nodded, and felt movement as the woman...Elizabeth, stood to put the bowl away. As promised, she settled in a spot close by, close enough for them to touch by just reaching out an arm.

Viola lay down on her side, as curled up as she could get without legs, facing the woman. If 'anything happened'. If this failing body started to shut down. Would she know? On all these numbing potions, would she feel the pain of death in time to warn the other? Would she go to sleep and wake up to find that horrible cat ready to pounce?

A low gurgle came, a whimper, and she pulled part of the blanket pulled close to her chest. She remembered her stuffed bear at home, the one she always slept with because it was so soft and fluffy, and sometimes made a better pillow than her pillows did.

"Are you okay?"

"Nnn..." she found a tremor run through her, a cool stab in her chest at the thought that she might not see the morning. It was one thing going to sleep when her entire body ached for it, but now that she'd really had the chance to absorb her situation... "Eeemmm... sshh... rrrdd..."

"You're scared?"

"Eesshh..."

The form near her came closer, until she could feel her body heat, and a hand was placed gently over the one clutching the blanket as if it were her last tether to life.

"You'll last the night. I'll make sure of it. Just try to rest."

Just the simple presence of someone nearby was slightly comforting, though it didn't dispel her worries altogether. She still lay there, alert but tired, listening to Elizabeth's breath until she was sure she was't awake. Carefully, she inched closer until she could feel her lungs working under their bony cadge. Only then was she able to calm herself enough that she could actually get to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

She knew when she woke up. It was a sudden, violent shift from a world of color into the darkness and dull pain throughout her entire body. Sore muscles clenched and flexed as she felt the urge to stretch them out. Joints popped painfully, something warm and somewhat restricting tightened around her back. She paused mid stretch, almost afraid to move as she became very aware that she was being held. The form next to her exhaled deeply and shifted, air brushing wetly against the top of Viola's head.

Elizabeth.

She relaxed slightly, listening to the repeated pattern of the others breath, wondering exactly what time it was. It was a little too warm, laying under the covers pressed up against another person, and with some difficulty she managed to push the blanket down around her waste. The chilled surroundings felt good against her skin, air easily seeping through the semi thin dress.

The woman seemed in a fairly deep sleep, hadn't moved much except to curl around her, probably just an instinctual response to sleeping near another.

She thought she felt a faint shift in the rooms pressure. Blinking her eyes open, there was a dull throbbing in the right socket, and immediately her stomach twisted sickeningly. It was probably infected, just as the woman had warned might happen.

There was another shift, and this time she was sure it was there, something moving nearby. Was it the bird? But the bird was somewhere above them, wasn't it? Why would it be on the ground?

Something very cold touched the bare skin just above the neck of her dress, pressed into where she was sure the vein in her neck was. With a gasp she cringed away, pressing herself closer to the witch. "Eeell... saahh...!"

A soft, masculine laugh, "My, do you know how long I've been looking for you, miss Viola?."

"Ell..." she shook Elizabeth's shoulder, her heart beating hard against the inside of her chest as she felt soft fur brush along the back of her head, entangling already knotted hair.

"There's a bird on the bookcase, can you believe it? I've always disliked the things. Dirty creatures. Cats on the other hand..."

There was an indignant caw as the arm around her waist tightened, and suddenly she was upright, pulled into the others lap. The wounds on her legs scraped painfully across the fabric around them, bringing a gasp that amused the nearby demon.

"Ah, it seems she still wishes to play the knight in shining armor...you do realize this girl is going to die weather you help her or not, yes?"

"No." there was a flutter, a brush of air against her cheek. The crow had landed on Elizabeth's shoulder. The witch in question tightened her grip as she continued, "And even if she does, you can't have her until she dies. You can't harm her."

"True. But you're wasting your energy if you think you can keep her alive in that state. I'm sure you've already discovered the blood disease? Even if you get these injuries healed, she's not much longer for this world."

"And you're advising me not to help her for my own self interest? No, I think you'd say anything to ensure you get your meal. You can stop fussing, I'm not taking anything from you, regardless of what happens to her."

He chuckled again, "Ah, you misunderstand, witch. You think I fear not being fed? This girl and I have a contract, she belongs to me whatever you do. Unless you'd rather-"

"No. Her father stays out of this."

"Then why not get it over and done with? I'm sure the fear alone is driving her insane."

A third voice joined the conversation, low and deep, soothing in a way that somehow felt more cruel than comforting, "She's not one to just let things die. You'd do better to try and convince a rabid wolf not to tear your soft insides out than to get her to give up on her new toy."

Elizabeth tensed slighty, but her tone remained calm, "Why are you letting her hear? We could discuss this in the other room. She's stressed enough as it is. I'd rather not add cardiac arrest to the list of things I have to deal with." a memory from Ellen's body...one could only hear a demons' voice if they wished them to. Otherwise it would only sound like the animal that they were possessing.

Viola immediately shook her head and clung as tightly as she could to the other's dress collar.

"There's your answer, Lizzy. Besides, it involves her very being. Don't you think she should be in on it?"

"Shush, Venny."

"'Venny?' Yo, dude, you let her call you Venny?"

"Venom. She calls me Venom."

"...the two of you are getting off topic." Elizabeth interjected, "Cat, this is my house, you aren't welcome here."

"This girl is mine."

"She isn't yours while her heart still beats."

"Her heart wouldn't be beating right now if you hadn't stuck your nose into it."

"But I did, and now you're going to have to wait."

"I could go contract with someone else and have them storm the place."

"Put a new witch against one that's been active for years. I wonder how that's going to turn out."

"Give her to me."

"No."

There was a long moment of silence, one in which Viola was sure the two were glaring daggers at each other. She shifted uncomfortably, feeling herself shake as she waited for someone to move.

"...fine." the cat said at last, his words low and acidic, "I will wait, and when she finally dies, I will laugh at you as I devour her slowly."

"You do that."

Again silence, until the arms locked around her loosened slightly, "The night would have been better without that pest coming here."

"You can say that again. Hate cats..." the bird took somewhere above them again.

"Are you alright, miss?" hands pressed against her shoulders to push her away, "The cat is gone. You don't have to cling."

Something warm and...disgustingly sticky...dripped out of her right eye. This caught the attention of the woman almost instantly, as her head was pushed back so she could look, "Does your eye hurt at all?"

"Yehh..."

"I should have cleaned it out before...wait here.", she left to grab something, probably the burning medicine, Viola thought with a shudder. Again, she felt Elizabeth kneel in front of her, fingers under her chin to pull her into the desired position, "This is going to hurt. Prepare yourself..."

The crow cawed, bringing a sigh from the woman, "Try to hold still..."

Within moments she felt only the harsh sensation of her socket being ripped apart.


	7. Chapter 7

According to Elizabeth, something must have gotten into the eye socket either before or shortly after the body switch. It wasn't too bad considering the location, but pus was leaking out of it, and some of the rotting flesh had to be scraped out. That was the worst, even the burning medicine afterwards hadn't been as bad as feeling something digging around against where her eye should have been. After it was finally over, the numbing potion was applied once more to all her wounds, and she was made to drink something that tasted vaguely of grass and flower petals.

"I'll look into putting a barrier of some sort up when I'm gone, so he doesn't go breaking in when you're alone."

"Whhaa...?" she turned her head toward the source of the other's voice. From the sound of it, she was on the other side of the room now, the occasional rustle of paper giving the impression that she was looking through a book.

"I can't be here all the time. You should have already guessed that by now. I need to get more magic regularly."

"Whha... err... yuu... ghhnn..."

"You might as well quiet yourself, I can't understand a word you're saying."

Viola frowned, blinking her one unbandaged eye. It didn't really need to be covered, but it felt better to have something covering it, keeping the air out. Taking a deep breath, she leaned forward, pressed her arms against the ground, and pulled. She managed maybe an inch, and for a moment regretted using every ounce of magic back at Ellen's house. Again, she dragged herself forward, and after several exhausting moments managed to make it to the edge of the blanket. The floor underneath was dirty, wooden, rough against the skin.

Something was put, dropped, onto something else, and within moments Elizabeth was kneeling in front of her, "What are you doing? You need to rest."

Glaring up into where she thought the other's face was, Viola spoke as slow and as clear as she could, "Whhaa... err... yuu..gnnnggg...tue...du?"

"I'm a witch, you know exactly what I'm leaving to do."

She shook her head, "Du...weeth...mii?"

"I'm going to keep you alive for as long as I can and see if I can help you. What do you think I'm going to do with you?" arms encircled under Violas own and pulled, lifting her up off the floor to carry her back to the center of the blankets. She was placed on her back, a move she realized to make it harder for her to move around. While rolling over wasn't impossible, it was fairly difficult.

"Eees...gnnngg...tu...ete...mii.."

Elizabeth now knelt next to her, and Viola could feel her eyes on her, "The demon? I'm trying to prevent that. Relax. Stress isn't going to help you right now."

"Buhh..."

She interrupted, "Don't worry about the cat. I'm working on it." Viola stared toward her voice, and before long there came a sigh, and her tone sounded...sad, almost. "I've an idea how to help you, but I'm not going to tell you until I know for sure. It would be cruel of me, more so than expected. Now let me work. I need to find a spell."

Without waiting for her to attempt any further questions, Elizabeth stood and retreated, back to the far side of the room. Again there was the shifting of paper, the turning of a books page. "Venny, assist me."

The bird in question cawed, and there was the flutter of wings that told her he'd moved from one part of the room to the other, where Elizabeth was. Viola shifted uneasily where she lay, getting into a more comfortable position with some of the blanket under her head like a pillow. She waited quietly, listening to the witch comment and the crow's call in reply. She wondered to herself what she could possibly have in mind, and why she wouldn't tell.

The only way to save her was to get her back into her own body, right? But that was impossible. The spell needed trust, it needed consent. There was no way Ellen would ever give her new, healthy body away. She'd been working toward that goal for years...besides, she didn't care about her 'friend' at all. All their times together, the smiles, the albeit weak laughter, everything Ellen had done with her had been a lie.

Unless there was a way to take her body back by force, she was dead. Was that what Elizabeth was looking into? A way to take her body back?

Viola could only hope that would work...


	8. Chapter 8

"The barrier is up. Unless someone uses a fairly powerful spell to break it, only Venom and I may pass through. There's another one around the room itself, so even if they are strong enough to make it through them, it will take time to get to you. We won't be gone too long, so you should be safe until we get back. How are your wounds doing? Is your eye feeling any better?"

Viola nodded, though the blanket was fisted tightly in her hands. Nothing hurt too badly at the moment, even though it had been a couple of hours since her last dose of potions. She hoped that was a good thing, that her body was healing, and not getting weaker.

"Are you alright?" Elizabeth asked, probably noticing the way she was clinging to the blanket.

"Dnn...aannt... tu.. be.. ahloone..." she struggled out. The pain was easing, but as her throat began to scab it made talking even more difficult. Despite this, Elizabeth didn't seem to have much trouble understanding.

"You won't be alone for very long, maybe a few hours. The town isn't very far away. Do you wish to be sedated while I'm away?"

"Nnhh!" despite the woman's assurances that nothing could get in, the last thing she wanted was to be blind, unable to move,_ and_ unconscious.

"Would you feel better if I gave you a weapon? A knife, perhaps?"

A knife...? She nodded, and after a few moments of waiting, the cool, slightly rough surface of a grip was pressed into her hand. A quick run over with her fingertips told her that the blade was small, short but sharp. Almost like the knife Ellen stabbed her with, but shaped differently, slightly more curved than the one that had slashed through her empty socket.

"Are you alright now?"

No... no she wasn't, but this was the most she was going to get, wasn't it? She nodded, though she felt sick to her stomach at the thought that maybe, maybe someone would get in while she was gone and... and maybe she wouldn't be there when the woman came back.

"Good. Stay here until I get back, I don't want you hurting yourself while I'm gone. Some of the bookshelves here aren't the most stable."

The bird flapped his wings, a door opened then closed, and Viola was left completely alone for the first time since she'd failed in getting her body back. It was strange, now that she couldn't see, she could almost feel the other's absence. As if the presence of another living being could be felt even across the room, even when all was silent. Maybe she was just imagining it, but it bothered her nonetheless.

With nothing else to do, she examined the knife again, a lifeless hunk of metal that held all the stimulation of sitting outside and waiting for the plants to grow. Sighing, she lay down, the extra blanket bunched up under her head like a pillow. The covers were pulled up to her throat, as if they could offer any sort of protection. The movement caused friction against her legs, but the resulting pain felt dulled. Again, she hoped that this meant she was getting better, that her flesh wasn't beginning to rot. Elizabeth would catch that, right? Find a way to stop it before she got worse? She got rid of the infection in her eye...

If she was going to get her body back for her, then what would happen to Ellen? Would she be put back into this body, or would she just...float away somewhere? Would it be any different than if she died naturally?

Would the cat be able to eat her?

She shook her head, trying to push those thoughts away. She reminded herself that this girl used and betrayed her, that she didn't deserve sympathy...but... but they'd been friends... at least, she'd thought they had. Even with the pain and anger she felt, she couldn't help but wonder if somehow Ellens memories were lying to her somehow. It wasn't true, and it hurt her to know this, her 'friend' didn't care about her at all. She mutilated her and left her to die, she stole her life, and if allowed to go free she was likely to do this to more people. What would keep her from using the spell as a way to become immortal?

Every time she was close to death, all Ellen would have to do is trick someone else just as she tricked her. 'I would give anything for just one more day of youth, would you give me that one day?' and then once she'd switched into the other body, kill the one she'd stolen it from. If no one stopped her, she'd keep doing it forever.

Viola sighed and closed her eye, resting the knife over her chest, and lost in her thoughts, eventually fell asleep.


End file.
